SPOTLIGHT ON PUPILS

SPOTLIGHT ON PUPILS
State award winner
SEBRING -- Patty Springer, a sixth-grader at Beatrice L. Miller Elementary School, is one of 10 Ohio residents to receive an Outstanding Achievement Award for School Conflict Management for excellence in teaching and/or modeling peaceful dispute resolution skills and helping resolve school conflicts before they escalate into violence.
Patty was nominated by school officials for being a role model for peaceful conflict resolution skills over four years, as a peer mediator, mediation trainer, tutor and crossing guard. The awards are sponsored by the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management.
All-American Scholar
CORTLAND -- The United States Achievement Academy has named C. Chase Senk of Cortland an All-American Scholar. The award is given to students with grade point averages of 3.3 or higher who are nominated by school personnel.
Chase is a student at John F. Kennedy High School in Warren and the son of Marion and Sheila Senk.
Earth Day essayists
YOUNGSTOWN -- Brianna Gordulic, a sixth-grader at St. Mathias School, and Frank Zamary, a seventh-grader at St. Christine School, were winners of the "What Can I Do to Make Earth Day Everyday in My Life?" essay contest. The contest in Youngstown Catholic schools was sponsored by Youngstown Litter Control & amp; Recycling.
Poster to be on billboards
CANFIELD -- South Range Middle School sixth-grader Alyssa Mansell placed first in the Mahoning County Children Services "Help Paint Ohio's Future Bright -- Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect" poster contest. Her artwork featured purple bears, one injured and sad and one well and smiling. Alyssa won a $100 savings bond and her poster will appear on billboards in the county. She is the daughter of David and Lisa Mansell of Canfield.
COLLEGE EVENTS
Visiting U. of Akron
AKRON -- The University of Akron holds a half-day Summer Visitation Day for high school students and their parents, beginning at 8 a.m. next Saturday.
Visitors can learn about academic programs and campus life and talk to faculty and members of admissions, financial aid and housing departments.
Call (330) 972-7077 or (800) 655-4884 or visit www.uakron.edu/admissions/checkOut.php.
EDUCATOR NEWS
Teacher of the Year
BOARDMAN -- MaryBeth Tkach, a 1978 graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School, received the Humanitarian Teacher of the Year Award at Delaware Technical and Community College in Wilmington, Del. It was presented by her past and present students in the American Sign Language and Interpretation Program she coordinates. She has taught at the college since 1997.
Tkach is a nationally certified Sign Language Interpreter for the Deaf and is pursuing a doctorate degree in linguistics at the University of Delaware. She is the daughter of Richard and Frances Tkach of Boardman.
NEOUCOM official chosen
ROOTSTOWN -- Dr. Chander Kohli has been named vice president of the board of the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. The Youngstown State University board trustee has been YSU's trustee on the NEOUCOM board since 2000. Dr. Kohli is also a NEOUCOM clinical professor of surgery.
In leadership program
YOUNGSTOWN -- Dr. Tony Atwater, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Youngstown State University, is among 23 higher-education executives nationwide selected to participate in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities' Millennium Leadership Initiative.
MLI is a leadership development program designed to strengthen the preparation and eligibility of people who are traditionally underrepresented in the roles of president or chancellor in the nation's colleges and universities. Atwater will join colleagues from universities across the nation at a four-day professional development institute in July. It will be followed by a yearlong mentoring component.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Summer camp at YSU
YOUNGSTOWN -- Eighth-, ninth- and 10th-graders who want to explore the various aspects of the information technology field are invited to attend a summer camp July 14-18 in Meshel Hall on the Youngstown State University campus. The camp, which runs from 8:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. daily, will include instruction in Web page creation, digital photography, visual basic programming, personal computer maintenance, digitizing audio and multimedia technology. Hosts are the computer science and information services department at YSU and the Mahoning Area Consortium College Tech Prep. Cost is $50. Call (330) 941-3120 or write phillips@cis.ysu.edu.